The Halton Region Master Gardeners is running the inaugural Garden Journeys Open Days over two weekends, Aug. 10–12 and Aug. 17–20 in citizen gardens across Hamilton.
This free event is aimed at anyone who loves gardens, whether they have their own garden or not. The idea is to showcase biodiverse gardens that focus on native plants, promoting those connections between plants, insects, birds, and animals. Gardeners (or designated greeter) will be on hand to talk about their naturalizing journeys, the plants themselves, and their future plans. Each participating gardener will sign up for five date and time slots during which their garden will be open to visitors; sign up for interested participants is open until July 31 here.
The organizers hope that gardeners looking to begin the journey to a sustainable, native-plant-based garden will be inspired to make that jump after visiting others who have already started their journeys.
“It’s wonderful to see all the recent interest in native plants and other eco-friendly gardening practices,” says Allyn Walsh, co-organizer. “But gardeners can feel overwhelmed when getting started. To illustrate that every journey begins with a single step, Garden Journeys Open Days will show a range of gardens from those just beginning with a few native plants to those that are very eco-friendly.”
No bookings are necessary to tour the participating gardens; an interactive online map shows the locations of the open gardens, which will be filterable by available dates and times, so that people can plan their own routes. The features and sizes of gardens will also be outlined so that people interested in particular details or features can find that type of garden to visit. Halton Region Master Gardeners also hope the open garden event will facilitate connections between gardeners: “Garden Journeys Open Days helps like-minded gardeners find each other,” says Bev Wagar, co-organizer. “These informal networks of native plant enthusiasts share not only materials such as seeds and plants but also knowledge and experience. We’re challenging entrenched ideas about the purpose of gardens.”
There are a few garden categories available to visit: back-yard gardens; front-yard gardens under the “sidewalk showcase” label; and public and institutional gardens. These might be at hospitals, schools, or libraries.
Though this inaugural event will feature Hamilton gardens, Walsh says that they expect the event to expand to Halton — including Burlington — next time.
Halton Region Master Gardeners ask that anyone visiting gardens to remember to ask permission before taking photos of participant gardens, stick to pathways, lawns, decks or patios, arrive with good time to explore gardens within the stated time slots — and get ready to learn, enjoy, and be inspired!
